


A New Home

by SWLBarnes



Series: Merlin Imagines [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, Female Reader, Magic Reader, Reader Insert, Slight Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2017-01-24
Packaged: 2018-09-19 17:53:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9453086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SWLBarnes/pseuds/SWLBarnes
Summary: The reader finds herself on the run after her village of Druids was attacked. She flees to the kingdom of Camelot, where a pair of knights happens upon her. They take pity on the poor girl and take her to safety, and all the while she can't help but fear that she won't be able to find her place in this new land.





	

Your feet stomped painfully against the ground, and your heart felt as if it was pounding out of your chest. Your lungs were filled with fire and there was an aching pain in your side, but you refused to stop. You couldn't stop, especially not if they were still behind you. You couldn't be entirely sure whether they were still following you or not, but you would rather be safe than sorry.

You also couldn't be entirely sure how long you had been running, but you knew it had been a while. Perhaps a few hours? You knew your body couldn't handle much more, but you also knew that your body wouldn't be able to handle being burned at the stake. You wished you could cry, or scream, or do anything except for run, but you couldn't. Your throat burned too much to breathe properly, let alone scream. You had run out of tears to cry many miles back. Now all that you could do was run, run for your life and don't look back until you reach safety.

You burst out of the woods and came into a large grassy clearing. Your feet came skidding to a stop and your legs promptly collapsed underneath your body, leaving you in a quivering heap of cloth and limbs. Soon enough you felt the tears pricking at your eyes again, and you wanted to stand up and continue running, but your body refused. The best you could do now was curl up in the grass and hold your legs against your body in hopes that no one would find you any time soon.

Every crack of a branch or crunch of the leaves had your fingers twitching with the instinct to utilize your magic to its full potential. The familiar tingling in the palm of your hand was growing by the minute, and you kept forcing it down. It was magic that got you into this mess, and it would hardly be wise to use magic to get you out.

Minutes turned into hours, and soon night had fallen once more. The dim light of the full moon illuminated the clearing with just barely enough light for you to hobble to your feet and survey your surroundings. Your eyes widened in surprise as they settled on the looming structures in the distance. A grand stone castle kept watch over the buildings and forest lands below it. Your squinting eyes could barely make out the images of royal knights making their rounds to protect their kingdom, but you need not fret about your inability to see the emblem etched into their flowing red capes. You knew this to be none other than the kingdom of Camelot, ruled by the great Arthur Pendragon after his father Uther fell.

Your lips quirked upwards in the beginnings of a smile at this information. You had heard wonderful tales of King Arthur's never ending kindness and generosity, and you knew that Camelot was overall a fair and just kingdom. It was a well known fact that the use of sorcery was punishable by death, but that meant nothing to you now. You did not need magic to live. All you needed was a fresh start, and Camelot was as good of a place as any to get that. The only thing keeping your feet from moving forward, however, was the nagging reminder of the people you had left behind only a day or so before.

You were abandoned as a child after your parents realized that you possessed magic. They felt it unsafe to raise you in their own village because of the danger the other townsfolk would bring you, and thus they left you in the hands of the Druids. You were raised by the Druid people, and you spent so much time with them that you often thought of yourself as a Druid, though you were nothing of the sort. When Odin's men ransacked your quaint little corner of the forest in hopes of gaining more land for his kingdom, your adoptive family encouraged you to flee for your life.

You had heard quite wonderful things of King Arthur, but it came to a point that you realized his mercy had not been spent on the Druids. In his time as a prince he had been known as a great enemy of magic, and he had led attacks on peaceful Druid civilizations before. Could you truly live in a land and serve a king that held such a resentment against the people you grew to know as your family?

Part of your mind was pushing you to turn back into the forest and find someplace else to begin anew, but another part was reminding you that such an attempt was foolish and unnecessary. Where would you even go? You had no food, no water, and no means of protecting yourself aside from your magic, and you decided it best not to use your magic under the danger of execution. You had no where to go but forwards. No one to guide you but those you would soon meet. You had nothing, and perhaps continuing on would bring you something to hold on to.

With that thought in mind, you pushed your legs to begin shuffling forwards. You had lost your shoes long ago, so with each step came a sharp pain that shot all the way up your leg as the wounds on your feet came into contact with the ground. You were lucky to have found a river that ran towards Camelot for a good part of your journey so you did not leave a trail of blood behind you, but that fact did little to help your aching feet now. A gust of wind whirled around your body, causing a violent shudder to shake your entire frame. You could hear your teeth chattering together in the silence of the night, and all you wanted at that point was to mutter a quiet, "forebearnan," and relieve yourself of the chilly night air, but you refused to do so. No magic means no magic.

You were not sure at this point whether the shaking of your hands was due to the biting cold or the emptiness of your stomach, and truthfully you didn't care. The more you focused on your hardships, the more impossible they seemed to overcome. Instead you decided to set your sights back to the grandeur palace fitted perfectly to the horizon. It seemed as safe a place as any, and it looked far more secure than the bundle of trees you called home with the Druids.

You fell into a bit of a daze after that. Your thoughts circulated through different memories of your childhood and all of the wonderful things the Druids had done for you. Your body was practically on auto-pilot, so you didn't notice the pair of Knights riding up to you on their horses until one of their blades was pressed against the nape of your neck.

You sucked in a frightened breath as the cold metal pressed against your skin. Its brutally sharp edge threatened to slice into you with any slight movements you made. The pins-and-needles sensation returned to your hands with an overbearing ferocity, and it took everything in you to force your years of self defensive magic training into the back of your mind. You balled your hands into fists and squeezed them tightly before your knees buckled underneath you, forcing you to kneel. The sword traveled right along with you, much to your displeasure.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" A rough edged voice shouted. You winced at the man's tone. Growing up with the Druids was quite the peaceful upbringing, so this experience was a new one by far.

"M-My name is (Y/N), and I swear I mean you no harm," you managed to stutter out. Each word came out shakily, and your throat threatened to close up in fear.

The sword's force against your neck lessened ever so slightly. "What business have you in Camelot?"

"I was seeking refuge, Sir Knight. He killed them all, I had no where else to go!" You pleaded, squeezing your eyes shut.

Suddenly, the other knight spoke up. "Leon, let her up." The sword didn't budge. "Come on, what harm can she do? She can hardly remain standing, so I doubt she would be able to do any damage."

Finally, the blade was removed and you were able to breathe out a sigh of relief. Your once tense shoulders slumped in exhaustion, and your head followed suit in hanging tiredly. You slowly stood up on your shaky legs and turned to face the men.

One man had what seemed to be somewhat long reddish-brown hair, the same color as his beard. He held his sword at the ready, so you could only assume that this man was Sir Leon. The other man was muscular and tan, and his brown hair was styled into a buzz cut. He also seemed to have no sleeves to his armor, which seemed quite peculiar to you.

The man with the buzz cut gave you a soft smile. "I'm Sir Percival, and this is Sir Leon. Now, who is this man you are running from?"

You gave them both a quick nod before replying. "King Odin and his men. They ransacked our village and stole anything of value. My family, we refused to give them anything, and they began slaughtering us all. I fought as hard as I possibly could, but we are a poor people that cannot afford weapons of such high prestige. When I realized that... That my family was all gone... I fled." You peered up at the knights to find them both eyeing you sympathetically. Leon's sword was now sheathed, and you allowed yourself to relax further. "Please, Sir Knights. I wish only to live in peace. I have done no wrong, I swear to you."

The pair glanced at each other momentarily before Sir Percival extended his gloved hand towards you. You reached out and grabbed his hand, allowing him to pull you up behind him on the horse's back. You wrapped a tentative arm around Percival's waist, only adding the second one when instructed to do so for your safety. He gave a quick nod to Leon, and you were off.

"So, (Y/N)," Leon spoke up a couple of minutes into your ride. "Would you prefer to go ahead and rest tonight, or would you like to speak with King Arthur now?"

Your heart began hammering in your chest, and your grip on Percival's armor tightened. "K-King Arthur? Sir Leon, I don't want to cause a fuss. There is no reason for me to speak with the King," you assured him with a feeble attempt at a confident voice. Percival chuckled.

"There's no need to be scared," the muscular knight informed you. "Arthur is nothing if not just. No harm will come to you. The only ones in danger at this point are King Odin and his men."

Leon laughed and grinned, nodding in agreement. "You should sleep for tonight. We'll bring you to the court physician then have Merlin bring you something to eat once you're settled in for the night."

You fell silent for the rest of the ride. As much as you appreciated their kindness, you knew you couldn't speak to the King. You had no doubts about his kindness, but you also knew that that kindness was often not extended to people of magic. Once he realized that the village that was attacked was one of the Druids, you would surely be executed.

Percival aided you in dismounting the horse as well. The men led you down the halls of the castle until you reached was you assumed to be the court physician's chambers. Sir Leon rapped his knuckles on the wooden door.

An old man with long white hair opened the door. He seemed to be in the process of making dinner, judging by the food laid out across one of the many tables inside. The room was rather large in reality, though the clutter on the tables and floor made it seem far smaller than it was. The scents of various herbs and tonics drifted into the halls.

"Gaius, she requires your assistance. She has been attacked by Odin and his army, and has been fleeing them for hours," Leon spoke up with a sense of urgency. Gaius's eyes scanned over your frame quickly before he stepped out of the way and hurriedly motioned you all inside.

Percival helped you to the bed and you laid across it with a light groan of pain. A violent shiver ran through your body once again, and Leon quickly tossed a blanket over you.

About halfway through Gaius's examination and treatment, a young black-haired man walked in. He donned a dark blue shirt with a red neckerchief around his neck, and a brown jacket to top it all off. As soon as his tired eyes landed on the scene in front of him, his face contorted in concern.

"What's going on?" He asked, tossing his jacket off to the side and scurrying over to join his friends. Gaius didn't even look up as he responded.

"Ah, Merlin! It's a good thing you're here. I need you to do something for me." The man continued to speak as he gave Merlin his instructions, but you didn't hear any of it. You were far too focused on the strange feeling stirring in your gut. It was... Magic. But from where?

You gazed in wonder at Merlin as he listened to Gaius's every word. Your thoughts floated back to the legends of Emrys you had been told as a child, as well as the far more recent stories that he was in Camelot. But there was no way that Merlin could be Emrys... Right?

You snapped out of your daze when Gaius applied some sort of cream to the torn soles of your feet. You hissed in pain as soon as the mixture touched your wounds, but Leon quickly reached out and grabbed your foot before your reflexes could retaliate. You sucked in a sharp breath.

"Sorry," you muttered in apology to Gaius, who simply gave you a quick smile before going back to work.

As Gaius finished his work, you allowed your mind and eyes to wander back to Merlin. There was no doubt that he carried strong magic with him, but the question was how. How could he work under the King of Camelot and possess such strong magic? This thought alone gave you hope that you, too, could survive and live happily in this new kingdom.

Around an hour and a half later, you were patched up as best as you could be and you had retired to your chambers. The room was fairly small, yet elegant and impressive nonetheless. The bed sheets were softer than anything you had felt in your life, and you couldn't help but sprawl out on the large bed like a starfish. A content sigh passed your lips, but soon you scrunched your eyebrows in confusion. You could sense magic somewhere close by, and it was drawing nearer.

A soft knock sounded at your door, causing you to quickly scramble off of the bed and smooth out your nightgown you had borrowed from one of the servants. "(Y/N)?" Merlin's voice called out from the other side of the door. "It's Merlin. I have some food for you, if you'd like it?"

At the mention of food, you rushed towards the door and flung it open. You were met by a surprised Merlin holding a silver tray. The scents coming from the tray filled your nose, and it took everything in you to keep from snatching it away then and there.

Merlin smiled and stepped into your room, placing the tray down on your table and getting everything set up for you. You were entranced by the look of complete concentration on his face, and the small smile that played on his lips sent your stomach into a frenzy. The scent of the different fresh foods he was setting out drew you closer as your mouth began to water.

"I hope you're comfortable in here," he commented on a friendly manner. He flashed you a quick smile as he peered up from his work. "If you need anything, just ask for me. I'll be happy to help."

You smiled pleasantly at him and nodded your head. "Thank you, Merlin."

A beat of silence followed your words as he finished setting up your dinner. He motioned for you to sit down, to which you happily obliged and began to slowly eat. He started to walk out of the room, when a word mindlessly passed your lips.

"Emrys..." You whispered softly. Merlin froze in place, his jaw dropping open in shock. Every muscle in his body was tensed, and your own eyes widened as you realized what you had done. "M-Merlin, I-" you tried to speak, but you stopped abruptly as the man whirled around to face you.

"Where did you hear that name?" He asked you in an urgent whisper. You swallowed the lump in your throat as you peered uncertainly up at his intense gaze. His eyes burned into you, and you wanted more than anything to get up and run down the halls, away from this situation.

You averted your eyes from him. "M-My family, they told me the stories of Emrys. They told me how he'll bring peace and unity to Albion, and they told me how he's the greatest sorcerer to ever live."

You refused to meet Merlin's gaze in fear of seeing the same fiery expression you had seen before. He tucked a finger under your chin and tilted your head up so you were forced to look at him. Your muscles relaxed ever so slightly as you were met with a pair of far softer eyes than you had encountered before.

"(Y/N), are you a Druid?" He asked you softly, his eyes scanning over your face as if he would find the answers to all of his questions etched into your skin. You shook your head in response.

"No," you replied, "but I was raised by the Druids." He remained silent, so you decided to continue. "When my birth parents realized that I had magic, they knew that they couldn't raise me safely, so they left me in the hands of the Druids. They're the only family I've ever known. They taught me everything I know."

Merlin blinked at your for a moment before he decided to pull out a chair and take a seat at the table. "So, they taught you magic?"

You chuckled and shook your head again. "I learned it from an old man on the outskirts of my village. I was only a child, so I didn't know that what he was teaching me was dangerous for me to possess. I haven't seen him in... Years. I know he taught me with the best intentions, but he never did explain the dangers of his teachings." You scratched your fingernail lightly over the wooden surface of the table, tracing the patterns of the wood.

Merlin smiled giddily as he sat up straight in his seat. "Well, I'm glad to have you here. It's been difficult keeping it a secret to everyone I meet. Be careful, though: magic is punishable by death, and I fear Arthur will go through with the punishment if you reveal yourself too early," he warned you, placing a careful hand on your shoulder. You smiled down at his hand.

"Of course, thank you Merlin. I have faith that you can change that soon. You alone can bring peace and equality to Albion. We will be free soon, I just know it," you proclaimed proudly, causing Merlin to chuckle lightly.

"I'm trying, but when the king is an utter clot pole, it's a bit difficult."

At this you let out a pleased laugh. "I don't doubt that for a moment."

"Speaking of Arthur," Merlin transitioned smoothly. "You can't tell him about the Druids. You know that, right?" He peered into your eyes with an intense and serious gaze. You swallowed carefully and nodded.

"I know. I know of the dangers of possessing magic in Camelot. The king seems like a kind man, but I fear his judgement is clouded when it comes to people of magic. His father's hatred consumes him," you muttered softly, turning your gaze to the food in front of you. You pulled off a bit of bread from the roll on your plate and popped it into your mouth.

Merlin turned his eyes downwards as well. "He isn't a bad man," he assured you. "He's really quite a great king, god forbid he ever heard me saying that, but he still lives in the shadow of Uther. He isn't his father, so please don't treat him like such."

A small smile graced your lips as you realized how much Merlin cared for the king. You glanced up at him and tilted your head to the side. "Of course, Merlin. Besides, in Uther's kingdom I wouldn't have been shown this much kindness. In fact, I would probably be dead by now." A soft chuckle passed your lips, and you let out a sigh of relief as Merlin also began to chuckle.

"I suppose you're right," he agreed with a nod of his head. You pushed the plate towards him a bit in an effort to not seem selfish, but you quickly snatched it back when he gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "What are you going to tell Arthur tomorrow?"

You shrugged and popped a grape into your mouth. "Same thing I told the Knights, I guess," you replied simply. "I'll tell him that my village was attacked by King Odin and his men, and that I barely escaped with my life. Besides, it's not a lie. That's what truly happened, but I just won't tell him that my village consisted of Druids."

Merlin turned to you with a concerned gaze. "Are you not worried he'll learn the truth?" He asked warily. You peered back at him with a serious gaze, one that made him squirm a bit in discomfort.

"Are you?"

At your words, he pursed his lips and let out a huff. You finished eating and bid each other farewell, all the while with you hoping you had not lost his trust with your snappy remark. He left out the door with your now empty plates and allowed you to collapse onto the bed once more. You weren't sure what the morning would bring, and truthfully, you could not care less. All you wanted at that point was to rest. May God be with anyone that tried to disturb you from that.

You awoke the next morning to the sound of a door slamming. You jumped slightly from gut instinct, but soon enough your groggy limbs collapsed once more, allowing you to sink into the soft bed beneath you.

"Wakey wakey! Rise and shine!" Merlin's accent filled your ears with a cheery tone. You let out a load groan and grabbed the nearest pillow, pressing it against your ears. Merlin rolled his eyes and opened the curtains to allow the sun's burning rays to stream through. An annoyed grunt uttered in your throat and you chucked another pillow sitting nearby at the serving boy. He ducked easily and smirked. "You're almost as bad as Arthur in the mornings. Now, come on! The king is ready to meet with you!" He urged you to get out of bed, finally settling for grabbing the sheets and yanking them away from you.

"Hey!" You shouted, leaping up and trying to take your blankets back. He simply shook his head and tossed them onto the floor behind him with a satisfied grin.

"Good morning to you too," he joked. You huffed and rolled out of bed, being careful not to put too much pressure on your right foot. The bottom of your foot had been severely infected, and Gaius had warned you not to make it any worse. You couldn't promise anything, but you would at least try to listen for a day or so.

Merlin raised an eyebrow as he watched you hobble towards the wardrobe, which had been stocked with Lady Morgana's old clothing by the queen for you to wear for now. "You know," he began, "you could fix that quite easily with magic."

You sighed and nodded as you sifted through the various dress choices you had. "I know, but I can't do that. If I do, then everyone would only be more suspicious of me. If my foot suddenly healed, what would everyone think?"

Merlin smiled in approval. "Good to know you're being careful. You passed the test." You let out a light laugh. Of course he was testing you. "But really, none of the Knights are suspicious of you. In fact, they all feel quite bad for you. They've been buttering the king up all morning to keep him in a good mood for when you see him. They're all trying their best to keep you safe."

A soft smile rested on your lips, and you tossed him a glance over your shoulder. "Really? Is that true?"

He nodded with a smile. "Of course. Now, I'll let you get ready. Don't be too long!"

You waved to him as he left your chambers and began getting ready for the day. It was strange to be getting dressed into such upscale clothing. The dress you chose was an elegant (Y/F/C) dress that reached the floor. It had a gorgeous belt of jewels around the waist, and the sleeves reached around three fourths down your arm. You had no makeup of any kind in your room, so you decided that the king could deal with your bare face. Your hands worked carefully as you fixed your hair up into a mediocre up-do.

You took a step outside of your chambers and peered down the hallway. You quickly spotted the retreating back of a knight making his way down the halls, so you stepped all the way into the hall.

"Sir knight?" You called out to him. He immediately stopped and whirled around to face you, his shoulder length chestnut hair swishing in perfect unison with his cape.

His brown eyes filled with realization and he made his way over to you in a few long strides. He cast you a dashing smirk. "You must be the lovely (Y/N) I've heard so much about. I must say, you are somehow far more beautiful than I pictured you."

You fought the blush off of your cheeks and instead shot him an award winning grin. "I dread to think of how you pictured me before," you joked lightheartedly, causing the knight to chuckle.

He offered you his arm, which you gladly took. "My name is Gwaine, it's wonderful to meet you. I assume you're ready for your audience with the king?"

You gave Gwaine a nod. "I hope I'm not causing any trouble, Sir Gwaine."

He smiled and shook his head. "Of course not. Arthur would skin us all if he figured out that we allowed this to happen to you without doing anything in retaliation."

You sighed softly. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of," you admitted quietly. Gwaine furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"And why is that?"

"I just... I wish the violence between the kingdoms would end. Is there not already enough pain in this world? Why must we create more through war and battles?" You pointed out with a vague shrug of your shoulders. You didn't notice the proud grin on the knight's face as he looked down at you.

"You're going to fit in here quite nicely. I assume you've met Merlin?" He asked, turning his eyes ahead with the smile still present on his face. You nodded, knowing he saw you out of the corner of his eye.

"I have," you replied with a light laugh. "He really is quite the character. A bit of a mystery, from what I've seen so far."

Gwaine nodded quickly in agreement. "For sure! The boy, he's a wonderful man indeed, but he's a bit peculiar. In a good way of course, but peculiar. Arthur would never admit it, but we all know that Merlin is always one step ahead of everything. Not only that, but there's something about him that just makes you wonder who he truly is." The knight turned to you as you reached a set of doors and smiled. "Ah, well I guess we may never know. Merlin is Merlin, and hopefully that never changes. Are you ready?"

You were so caught up in your thoughts of last night's conversation with the young sorcerer that you almost forgot where you had been walking towards. Your eyes widened as they flickered from Gwaine to the set of doors. Gwaine, seeing your hesitation, placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder.

"You'll be fine, don't worry. Arthur might be a princess, but he's also fair and kind. Don't tell him I said that, though- don't want his ego growing any bigger than it already is." He cast you a sly wink before turning and opening the doors. You wiped the amused grin from your face as the doors opened into the large throne room. You swallowed the lump in your throat and stepped forwards, following Sir Gwaine.

"King Arthur," Gwaine called out the the young king sitting at the other end of the room. The man looked up at the knight and flashed a quick smile.

"Gwaine, it's good to see you didn't drink too much at the tavern," the king greeted teasingly. Gwaine chuckled and shuffled to the side to reveal your form behind him.

"This is (Y/N), as you requested her presence," the knight introduced you with a wave of his hand in your direction. Arthur's eyes focused on you and he nodded.

"I trust you slept well last night, yes?" The king wondered aloud, his questioning tone directed towards you.

"Yes, sire. Quite well indeed. I am eternally grateful for your kindness," you thanked him with a bow of your head.

"It was nothing, truly. If you would please, tell me what happened," he requested.

Your eyes glanced quickly around the room. Knights stood on either side of you, each one with a pleasant smile on their face as they looked at you. Leon and Percival flashed you a reassuring smile, each one nodding their head a bit to urge you on. Gaius stood to the right side of the room, his hands clasped together in front of him. He, too, was giving you a soft smile. Finally, your eyes reached Merlin, stood directly beside Gaius. He had hardly changed his outfit, you finally noticed, his neckerchief and shirt only having switched colors. He smiled as well, and even added in two thumbs up to keep you encouraged. A soft smile graced your lips at this, and you turned your attention back to the king.

You retold your tale to him, making sure to keep all references to the Druids and magic out of it. No one in the room dared speak while you were speaking, and Arthur began to lean forward about halfway through. His eyebrows furrowed together and he nodded every so often, a sign that told you that you were doing well.

Your words were cut off as you reached the point in your story that you had to flee. Your throat closed up momentarily as tears fought their way into your eyes. Your hands began to shake and you quickly clasped them together to keep them still. You tried as best you could to regain your composure and continue on, but it had just truly hit you that you were alone. Your family was gone. Your home was demolished. Everyone you knew was... Dead.

Before you could register anything that was happening, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around you. You happily turned and buried your face in the blue neckerchief you were met with, tugging Merlin closer to you as you wept. Gwaine placed a hand on your arm in reassurance, and Leon and Percival both stepped forward to console you as well.

When you finally regained your composure and turned towards the king, you were met with his pair of sympathetic eyes. Merlin's hand still grasped your own, and he squeezed it lightly. You wiped the tears from under your eyes and began to speak again, but quickly halted when the king raised a hand.

"I don't need to hear anymore. (Y/N), you have been deeply wronged, and I know you have lost much. I welcome you to stay in Camelot. You may serve under Queen Guinevere as her servant. I'm sure she would be delighted to have you." You smiled, and Arthur immediately smiled back.

"Oh, thank you, my lord! I owe you my life, truly. Thank you all!" You cried joyously. Leon pulled you into a tight hug as he laughed happily.

"Welcome to Camelot!" He cheered.

You were met with a chorus of welcoming voices and an unceasing amount of hugs. Gwaine leaned down and pressed a kiss to your cheek, causing you to blush. You felt Merlin's grip on your hand tighten, and only then did you realize that you were still holding his hand. You finally turned to the warlock and smiled at him.

"Thank you, Merlin. Truly. I don't know how I could ever repay you," you spoke gratefully. He chuckled and smiled happily at you.

"Well, I have an idea," he began. You tilted your head in confusion. Seeing this, he leaned forward and explained, "You could have dinner with me."

Your eyes widened, but soon a smile spread across your face. "I think that's doable."

He grinned and tugged you closer to him and wrapped his arms around you in a tight embrace. You could hear the Knights muttering excitedly behind you.

"I told you they were perfect for each other!" Percival claimed in a matter-of-fact manner.

"Pshh," dismissed Gwaine. "You might have said it, but I made it happen! Did you see how jealous he got after I kissed her on the cheek?" He boasted proudly. Leon let out a chuckle.

"Well, I found her, so technically I did all of this," he pointed out.

"But you also almost drove a sword through her."

Merlin huffed. "I'll drive a sword through all of you if you don't shut up," he warned, not letting go of your embrace. You laughed and buried your bright red face in the sorcerer's chest.

Yes, you had lost your family and your home, but that didn't mean you were alone. Perhaps good can, in fact, come from the bad. It was without doubt that you would feel the loss of your family for a great time to come, but you didn't have to get through it alone. You had found a new home, with people who cared. You were hardly going to give that up very easily.


End file.
